2004 05 06 WS Minutes - 1pmMINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
May 6, 2004
The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, met in work session on May 6, 2004, at 1:00
p.m. in the Conference Room of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, 4721 Garth Road,
Baytown, Texas, with the following in attendance:
Calvin Mundinger Council Member
Don Murray Council Member
Mercedes Renteria III Council Member
Pete C. Alfaro Mayor
Also in attendance were: Bill Wallace, Chambers County Commissioner, Kim Harrison, Harris
County Precinct 2, Mike Shields, Baytown/West Chambers County Economic Development
Foundation, Ken Courville, CenterPoint Energy, Gary Jackson, City Manager, Gary Smith, City
Clerk.
Absent were: Coleman Godwin
Scott Sheley
Council Member
Council Member
The meeting was opened with a quorum present after which the following business was
conducted:
Discuss Economic Development Strategic Plan with consultant.
Jeff Marcell and Amy Holloway, AngelouEconomics, conducted the session.
The project for development of an economic development master plan is set in three phases. The
first is the setup that includes surveys and review of data and statistics of the community. The
second is the community assessment. This involves interviews and focus groups. The third step
is the comprehensive strategic plan. Four to six target industries are selected for recruitment and
a five -year action plan is developed.
The strengths of the Baytown community include the following: Location, employment,
transportation, schools, workforce, private sector investment, volunteerism, quality of elected
officials, and elected officials that are not self - serving.
Council Member Ronnie Anderson arrived at 1:30 p.m.
Additional strengths include jobs, property values, available workforce, proximity to Houston,
diversity, Lee College, hunting, fishing, recreation, and the environmental projects, such as the
Baytown Nature Center and the Eddie Gray Wetlands Center.
The weaknesses include the following: aging population, over dependence on the industrial
sector, no coordinated economic development plan, negative perceptions, aging infrastructure,
perception of schools, perception that the City is not business - friendly, and a lack of
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Minutes of the Work Session (Economic Development Strategic Plan) — May 6, 2004
communication between governmental entities. The Houston perception of Baytown is that it is
industrial, unionized, with high wages.
Mayor Alf im left the meeting at 1:48 p.m.
Other weaknesses include the failure to get the public on board on issues, lack of quality retail
outlets, lack of youth entertainment, lack of population, and the limitation on growth due to
inadequate infrastructure.
Lee College was hailed as the shining star of the community, although not all have expressed
satisfaction with the small business development center. The group commented that Baytown is
a good place for certain businesses, but not all businesses. The relationship with large business
is excellent. The business involvement in the schools is outstanding. An effort to share ideas
with the local newspaper was encouraged. There have been successes in attracting businesses
and industries.
The opportunities for Baytown include Cedar Crossing, retentionlattraction of a younger
population, expansion of training programs, diversification of the industrial base, conducting a
targeted marketing campaign, creation of a barge facility, in -fill development, and waterfront
development.
The threats to Baytown include competition from other communities, a global recession, loss of
manufacturing to overseas competitors, pressure on the petro- chemical industry, the non -
attainment status of the area, and the concept that businesses must compete for the workforce.
The vision for the future included Baytown as a vibrant and growing community, waterfront
development with businesses and restaurants, small businesses flourishing, a place to be proud
of, where management will be willing to live in the community, development of a plan and
package to attract private capital for developments, and every child educated, with each person
living in a good home, and all workers having a good job.
The group thought that Baytown had sufficient parks but needed a bigger community center.
The greatest obstacles included resources, sewage capacity, management of growth, the stability
of the economy, and zoning.
Council Member Renteria left the meeting at 2:37 p.m. A quorum no longer existed.
Adjourn.
The meeting adjourned at 2:37 p.m.
�ti d4
Gory Wamith, City Clerk
